Pubdate: Tue, 15 May 2007
Source: Sydney Morning Herald (Australia)
Copyright: 2007 The Sydney Morning Herald
Contact:  http://www.smh.com.au/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/441
Author: Ben Cubby
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/testing.htm (Drug Test)

MORE DRIVERS TEST FOR DRUGS THAN DRINK

ALMOST three times as many NSW drivers have tested  positive to
illegal drugs as those caught with alcohol  in their systems, a new
police random drug testing unit  has found.

Of the 1600 drivers stopped and given a swab test by  the unit since
it was established in January, one in 46  were discovered to have
taken illegal drugs.

In some areas, one in eight long haul truck drivers  tested were
caught using illegal drugs, chiefly  amphetamines.

By comparison, random breath testing catches one driver  in 130 for
driving over their alcohol limit.

The program's success comes despite delays in setting  up the testing
unit, which has been criticised by the  NSW Opposition for being
under-resourced, and carrying  out only 15 tests a week in its early
days.

Police admit the numbers may be distorted because the  drug unit -
consisting of a single unmarked van staffed  by eight officers -
targeted truck routes and  entertainment districts where they expected
to find a  high proportion of drug users on the road.

Superintendent John Hartley, the traffic services  commander, said the
drug unit's high strike rate was  explained in part by the locations
where testing took  place, based on intelligence from local area commands.

"The fact is we are targeting areas where we know  people are [taking
drugs] so it might be distorted by  that," Superintendent Hartley told
Channel Ten.

"We are targeting drivers that might make the road  unsafe and who
might kill."

After amphetamines such as speed - favoured by some  truck drivers to
keep them awake - ecstasy and cannabis  were popular among drivers.

The tests take the form of a mouth swab, which is  processed on site
in the police van, taking about five  minutes.

If it shows a positive result, a second test is taken  inside the
vehicle. If necessary police can detain  drivers and order them to
undergo a blood test in a  hospital.

A police spokesman said two more random drug testing  units are under
construction and would be rolled out  later this year, and more
standard patrol cars would be  fitted with testing kits within 18 months.

In 2006, before the testing van came online, 970 NSW  drivers tested
positive for drugs, but that figure is  expected to rise markedly with
the advent of the new  unit.

Random breath testing for alcohol was introduced in  1982. Since then,
fatal crashes involving alcohol have  dropped from 40 per cent of all
fatalities to 19 per  cent.

Last year, 3.4 million random breath tests were carried  out in NSW.
"These results, over four months of  testing, show that our roadside
drug testing laws are  working," the NSW Police Minister, David
Campbell,  said.
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MAP posted-by: Derek